Nathaniel Meyer von Rothschild (26 October 1836 – 16 June 1905) was a member of the
Rothschild banking family of Austria
The Rothschild banking family of Austria ( de-AT, Rothschild Bankiersfamilie) was founded by banker Salomon Mayer von Rothschild in 1820 in Vienna in what was then the Austrian Empire.
History
Salomon Mayer had been sent to Austria from his ho ...
, known as art collector and
patron
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...
.
Life
Born in
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
, he was the fifth child and first son of
Anselm von Rothschild (1803–1874) and his wife Charlotte von Rothschild (1807–1859). His grandfather
Salomon Mayer von Rothschild
Salomon Mayer von Rothschild (9 September 1774 – 28 July 1855) was a German-born banker in the Austrian Empire and the founder of the Austrian branch of the prominent Mayer Amschel Rothschild family.
Family
He was born at Frankfurt am Mai ...
(1774–1855), a native from
Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...
, had founded the Viennese
S M von Rothschild
S M von Rothschild was a banking enterprise established in 1820 in Vienna, Austrian Empire by Salomon Mayer Rothschild, the founder of the Rothschild banking family of Austria and a member of the Mayer Amschel Rothschild family of Frankfurt, Germ ...
banking house in 1820, continued as the
Creditanstalt
The Creditanstalt (sometimes Credit-Anstalt, abbreviated as CA), full original name k. k. priv. Österreichische Credit-Anstalt für Handel und Gewerbe (), was a major Austrian bank, founded in 1855 in Vienna.
From its founding until 1931, th ...
by his father.
Nathaniel as the eldest male was expected to take over the running of the family's Austrian banking business. He studied at
Brünn
Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...
but fell out of favour with his father who considered him extravagant and financially irresponsible. Rather than going into business, Nathaniel spent his life as a
socialite who built mansions and collected works of art.
![Palais Freiherr Alfons von Rothschild](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Palais_Freiherr_Alfons_von_Rothschild.jpg)
From 1872 to 1884, he had the
Palais Nathaniel Rothschild
The Palais Nathaniel Rothschild was a palatial residence in Vienna, Austria. It was one of five Palais Rothschild in the city that were owned by members of the Rothschild banking family of Austria.
History
It was commissioned by Nathaniel Meyer ...
erected at 14-16 Theresianumgasse in Vienna-
Wieden
Wieden (; Central Bavarian: ''Wiedn'') is the 4th municipal district of Vienna, Austria (german: 4. Bezirk). It is near the centre of Vienna and was established as a district in 1850, but its borders were changed later. Wieden is a small region ...
in a lavish ''
Ringstraße
The Vienna Ring Road (german: Ringstraße, lit. ''ring road'') is a 5.3 km (3.3 mi) circular grand boulevard that serves as a ring road around the historic Innere Stadt (Inner Town) district of Vienna, Austria. The road is located on sites where ...
'' style inspired by
French Renaissance architecture
French Renaissance architecture is a style which was prominent between the late 15th and early 17th centuries in the Kingdom of France. It succeeded French Gothic architecture. The style was originally imported from Italy after the Hundred Years ...
. He himself lived alone in a small apartment, while in various parts of the building his large collection of art was on display. The palais was badly damaged by the
bombing of Vienna in World War II
The city of Vienna in Austria was bombed 52 times during World War II, and 37,000 houses of the city were lost, 20% of the entire city. Only 41 civilian vehicles survived the raids, and more than 3,000 bomb craters were counted.
History
After a ...
and afterwards demolished.
In 1880, he purchased
Enzesfeld Castle with its vast property from the Counts of
Schönburg-Hartenstein. He also had Hinterleiten Palace in
Reichenau an der Rax
Reichenau an der Rax is a market town in the Austrian state of Lower Austria, situated at the foot of the Rax mountain range on the '' Schwarza'' river, a headstream of the Leitha.
History
Reichenau castle was first mentioned in a 1256 deed. Duk ...
erected in a
Louis XIII style
The Louis XIII style or ''Louis Treize'' was a fashion in French art and architecture, especially affecting the visual and decorative arts. Its distinctness as a period in the history of French art has much to do with the Regent, regency under w ...
from 1884. The picturesque Reichenau area had become easily accessible from Vienna by the opening of the
Southern Railway line and evolved into a popular retreat of the Viennese society, among them Habsburg
Archduke Karl Ludwig of Austria who had
Villa Wartholz
The Villa Wartholz or Castle Wartholz is a former imperial villa in Reichenau an der Rax in Lower Austria.
History
Villa Wartholz was designed by Heinrich von Ferstel in the historicist style in the years 1870 to 1872 for Archduke Karl Ludwi ...
built nearby. Nevertheless, Nathaniel Rothschild only spent two years at his palace before he placed it at the disposal of the
Ministry of War Ministry of War may refer to:
* Ministry of War (imperial China) (c.600–1912)
* Chinese Republic Ministry of War (1912–1946)
* Ministry of War (Kingdom of Bavaria) (1808–1919)
* Ministry of War (Brazil) (1815–1999)
* Ministry of War (Estoni ...
to use it as a convalescent home for veterans.
On his father's death in 1874, Nathaniel and his brother
Ferdinand
Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "protection", "peace" (PIE "to love, to make peace") or alternatively "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "co ...
(1839–1898), owner of
Waddesdon Manor
Waddesdon Manor is a English country house, country house in the village of Waddesdon, in Buckinghamshire, England. Owned by National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, National Trust and managed by the Rothschild Foundation ...
, inherited most of the family's property and art collection. The family business went to the youngest brother
Albert
Albert may refer to:
Companies
* Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic
* Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands
* Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia
* Albert Productions, a record label
* Alber ...
(1844–1911), who successfully carried on the financial empire.
Nathaniel Rothschild became known for his substantial
philanthropic
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...
and
charitable
The practice of charity is the voluntary giving of help to those in need, as a humanitarian act, unmotivated by self-interest. There are a number of philosophies about charity, often associated with religion.
Etymology
The word ''charity'' or ...
activities and was highly popular with members of Vienna's aristocratic society, something that aided the family image and therefore its business. Beyond Vienna, he was as a benefactor to the Enzesfeld community, where in 1900 he donated the elementary school and funded other municipal works.
Nathaniel Anselm von Rothschild died a bachelor in 1905. He is buried in the
Zentralfriedhof
The Vienna Central Cemetery (german: Wiener Zentralfriedhof) is one of the largest cemeteries in the world by number of interred, and is the most well-known cemetery among Vienna's nearly 50 cemeteries. The cemetery's name is descriptive of its ...
, Vienna.
References
* See the list of references at
Rothschild banking family of Austria
The Rothschild banking family of Austria ( de-AT, Rothschild Bankiersfamilie) was founded by banker Salomon Mayer von Rothschild in 1820 in Vienna in what was then the Austrian Empire.
History
Salomon Mayer had been sent to Austria from his ho ...
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rothschild, Nathaniel Anselm von
Philanthropists from Vienna
Austrian art collectors
Burials at the Vienna Central Cemetery
Nathaniel Anselm
Austrian Jews
1836 births
1905 deaths